Teacher concerns around practical work and inquiry-based science

In this study, the authors sought to examine teachers’ views and understandings of science practical work, which in this instance refers to both inquiry-based activities and teacher-led manipulations of experiments and phenomena. The authors note that previous studies have found that teachers regard practical work as challenging and cite lack of support, limited time and limited resource as reasons for their reluctance to pursue it more. Additional training opportunities, involving for example strategies for coping with unexpected results and the development of greater pedagogical content knowledge, have been found to increase teacher confidence and enthusiasm for practical work.